Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWho Moved The Norman Rockwell Painting In The Oval Office?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/who-moved-the-norman-rockwell-painting-in-the-oval_us_58333e46e4b08c963e344310?Who Moved The Norman Rockwell Painting In The Oval Office?
11/21/2016 01:50 pm ET | Updated 5 days ago
Abigail Rockwell Jazz singer/songwriter; granddaughter of Norman Rockwell
Kevin Lamarque / Reuters
A painting by Norman Rockwell was moved in the Oval Office for the first meeting between President Obama and Mr. Trump so it would hang over Mr. Trumps shoulder. In the painting the torch of the Statue of Liberty is being repaired by five men, one of whom is an African-American. All of them are precariously roped to her flame.
Who moved the painting and why? It is clearly too small for that space; a larger landscape painting had hung there previously. Originally the Rockwell painting was displayed to the right of President Obamas desk and the expansive window, over a Frederick Remington sculpture, The Bronco Buster.
What is the meaning of this gesture? Most of my grandfather Norman Rockwells paintings are about tolerance, unity and the inherent goodness and resilience of the human spirit. The reflection of that vision and the profound presence of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the bust below, by African-American sculptor Charles Alston, speak volumes without saying a word. Perhaps they are able to say what Obama could not in these circumstances of necessary protocol.
Rockwell snuck in the man in the bright red shirt (which draws attention to him) with noticeably darker skin. My grandfather occasionally did this to skirt The Saturday Evening Posts policy of only painting people of ethnicity in subservient roles to whites. And here they are working together to repair our Ladys torch. My grandfather left out the rest of liberty to focus on her strong arm outstretched to the sky, proclaiming the light of freedom to everyone, especially immigrants. The ornate protective fence around the flame is the paintings most delicate detail.
In times of great upheaval, Norman Rockwells art and the words and actions of Martin Luther King, Jr. not only continue to resonate, but they remind us of the values and lifted vision that have always made our country great, no matter what strife or turmoil we may have to face.
Thank you to whomever moved that painting. I got the message. Hopefully others will as well.
The painting was donated by Steven Spielberg to the White House collection in 1994. It has hung in the Oval Office during the last three administrations, watching over Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama.
The question is: will it remain there now?
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
15 replies, 5570 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (54)
ReplyReply to this post
15 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Who Moved The Norman Rockwell Painting In The Oval Office? (Original Post)
babylonsister
Nov 2016
OP
Probably will be replaced with the one that the Trump "Foundation" bought of dumbass.
Thor_MN
Nov 2016
#3
Trump will find the Oval Office and White House decor much too restrained for his taste
Hekate
Nov 2016
#13
The Rockwell Liberty torch painting was in that same spot as far back as March of 2015.
Dark n Stormy Knight
Nov 2016
#15
benld74
(9,904 posts)1. I never gave it a second thought,,,,until NOW
Lovely placing to whomever thought of this.
Would be interesting to find 'other' photos with the other picture in them
AND the dates taken
Might be able to narrow down when it moved,,,,,,,
JHan
(10,173 posts)2. great post.
Thor_MN
(11,843 posts)3. Probably will be replaced with the one that the Trump "Foundation" bought of dumbass.
Mr.Bill
(24,280 posts)4. Maybe Trump
will hang some of his wife's porn shots in the oval office.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)8. Or maybe a rendering of two gilded unicorns fucking ...
in a field of oil wells, tastefully displayed on a black velvet background.
Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)5. K & R
hamsterjill
(15,220 posts)6. I'm betting it was Joe!
It's his style!!! LOL
Regardless - well played!!!!
malaise
(268,924 posts)7. I noticed the MLK bust
but not the Rockwell painting - profound - great decision.
NWCorona
(8,541 posts)9. Yup! The first thing that caught my eye was MLK and Lincoln
That's a good pairing.
Raine1967
(11,589 posts)10. I'm going with Uncle Joe. eom.
madokie
(51,076 posts)11. The gentleman on the right in that picture
Is one awesome man is all I know.
PBO you will be missed
onethatcares
(16,166 posts)12. oh man,
you guys just killed any chance of that staying that way.
We're gonna be seeing some gold plated crap in the Oval Office and MLK and A. Lincoln will not get the gilded treatment.
Hekate
(90,643 posts)13. Trump will find the Oval Office and White House decor much too restrained for his taste
I expect lots of gold to be installed. Uck.
lpbk2713
(42,753 posts)14. "You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah, damn you! God damn you all to hell."
Someone is looking into the future.
Dark n Stormy Knight
(9,760 posts)15. The Rockwell Liberty torch painting was in that same spot as far back as March of 2015.
PRINCE CHARLES AND CAMILLA VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE
A visit to the U.S. wouldn't be complete without visiting the White House! Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, paid a visit to President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in the Oval Office on March 19, 2015.